To help you identify the right grant, speak to an Artists Services officer about your project or arts practice and we can help you identity grants and opportunities that you are eligible to apply for.

You can also see our filterable list of grants and opportunities, which allows you to check which grants are currently open or opening soon. Once you have identified a grant, carefully check the eligibility criteria to ensure you are eligible.

For help with your application, please contact Artists Services.

Follow these steps:

1. Identify the right grant
2. Register in our application management system
3. Collect support material
4. Complete your application

Please see our application process for more information about how to apply for a grant or opportunity.

Whether you are a writing a grant application for the first time or are more experienced, please check our grant writing tips. These include tips on how to write about yourself and your project, budgets and support material.

Our staff are available to assist you in understanding the purpose of the grant, application requirements and submitting your application. Staff can assist over email, phone, Teams or Zoom. We do not review application drafts.

If you require additional support, please contact Artists Services or the specific contact team listed in the grant or opportunity guidelines.

Grant applications are submitted through our online application management system.

For help using our application management system, please contact Artists Services.

Are you registering in our application management system for the first time? Make sure you register well before the closing date. It can take up to two business days to process your registration.

For help using our application management system, please contact Artists Services.

Our application management system allows you to save your application as you go, so you can start your application well before the closing date.

We do not accept applications submitted via post. Any material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender. If you think you will have difficulty submitting your application online, please contact 0 or the contact listed in the grant or opportunity guidelines.

Grant applications are submitted online through our application management system. If you are using the system for the first time you will need to register your details before filling out a grant application form. Registration may take up to two business days, so please ensure you register well before the deadline for submitting an application.

Applications open approximately 6 weeks before the closing date of individual grants and opportunities. Find a grant or opportunity allows you to filter by ‘availability’ or whether applications are opening or closing soon.

Check the grant or opportunity guidelines page for the closing time and date. Give yourself at least several days to complete your application. Administrative and technical support from Artists Services is only available during office hours (Monday-Friday) 9am to 5pm Australian Eastern Time (AET).

Find grants and opportunities allows you to filter by availability or whether applications are opening or closing soon.

If a grant or opportunity is currently closed it will be marked as closed and will not have an apply button. When applications open, an ‘apply now’ button will appear.

Yes. We accept applications and support material in languages other than English, including Auslan.

If any part of your application requires translation into English or you wish to request an application form in a language other than English, please contact the Artists Services team or the contact listed on the grant guidelines as early as possible before the closing date. We will always try to accommodate your needs.

If you supply examples of creative content in a language other than English, we may engage an industry expert to give the peer assessors an evaluation of its artistic merit.

You can speak with our staff in your first language. Please telephone the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 (local call anywhere in Australia) and ask to be connected with Creative Australia.

Please refer to our advice on languages other than English.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application approximately 12 weeks after the closing date. Please see the guidelines for the grant or opportunity you are interested in for more details.

We cannot amend, correct, update or change any part of your application once it has been submitted. However, you can notify us of confirmations that you receive after you have submitted your application. These may include confirmation that a proposed activity will take place, a partnership has been secured, or funding from another source has been received.

To notify us of these confirmations please send an email to enquiries@creative.gov.au briefly describing the nature of the confirmation and include your application reference number.

Please note: Any confirmations provided after the closing date are usually not distributed to the assessors with your application. We make a note of these on file and bring them to the attention of assessors during the assessment meeting at our discretion.

Any other changes or corrections to your application or support material after its submission are not permitted.

Eligibility requirements vary, so please check the guidelines for the grant or opportunity you are interested in. Creative Australia accepts applications from individuals, groups and organisations. For more information, please see who can apply.

An artist is a person who creates art such as dance works, theatre, music, literature, visual art or experimental art. It is not necessary to regularly earn income from your practice. A creative worker is a person who works in the arts such as a cultural practitioner, editor, producer, curator and arts manager.

A ‘group’ is defined as two or more individuals who do not form a legally constituted organisation. This can include co-collaborators and collectives. Groups are not eligible to apply to programs open only to organisations.

Organisations must be registered under law (for example, incorporated association, or company limited by guarantee) or created by law (for example, a government statutory authority).

Organisations that are not legally constituted are not eligible to apply for funding to grant categories open to organisations only.

Organisations may be required to provide a certificate of incorporation or evidence of their current legal status. Funding programs for organisations are not intended for sole traders or partnerships.

For more information, please see who can apply.

In most cases, only Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents may apply for funding. Foreign nationals who are permitted to live and work in Australia by holding visas such as a Special Category visa or a Bridging visa are usually not eligible to apply. Please check the eligibility criteria for the grant or opportunity you which to apply for.

For most grants and opportunities you need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. However, some grants and opportunities may allow international organisations to apply for projects that benefit Australian artists or their work. For more information, please see who can apply and find a grant or opportunity, where you can filter by ‘international’ under ‘opportunity type’.

Yes. However, the contact person for group applications must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Please check the guidelines for the grant or opportunity you wish to apply for.

For more information, please see who can apply.

Yes. Funding can only be used on an arts project and arts related activities, specified as eligible in individual grant or opportunity guidelines.

If you have a question about how grant funds can be used, please contact Artists Services.

No. If you have an overdue grant report you will not be eligible to apply for any further grants from Creative Australia until your overdue grant report has been submitted and approved.

You can only submit one application per closing date to each of the following categories: Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, Fellowships and Arts Projects for Organisations.

Check the guidelines for individual grants and opportunities to see whether there are limits on the number of applications you can submit for each grant round.

Yes. If your application is unsuccessful, you can apply to a subsequent grant round. Check the guidelines for individual grants and opportunities.

Yes. Organisations can propose a program of projects or activities, for example an organisation’s full yearly artistic program.

We accept applications in the following arts practice areas: First Nations arts and culture, arts and disability, community arts and cultural development, experimental arts, multi-arts, music, dance, theatre, visual arts and literature.

Some opportunities may target specific arts practices only. Please check the guidelines for individual grants and opportunities to make sure you are eligible.

Yes. Creative research and development is a key component of the creative process and can be funded through some of our programs, including Arts Projects grants. Please check the guidelines for individual opportunities to see if creative development and research activities are supported.

Applications that focus solely on academic studies or are for activities that are part of assessable coursework are unlikely to be successful with our assessment panels. Assessment panels are also unlikely to support applications requesting the costs of academic fees or courses.

While we can support screen-based art, we do not generally support activities associated with feature film, television, documentary or games. See Screen Australia, the Federal Government’s primary agency for production of Australian screen content.

Yes. Early career artists are eligible to apply for most programs we offer.

Please check the guidelines for individual opportunities to see if early career artists are eligible to apply.

Read more about how your application will be assessed how we assess applications.

You can also read our Assessment FAQ.

When choosing the art form assessment panel for your application, consider which group of assessors will have the experience and background to best appreciate its merits.  

If you are unsure which assessment panel you should select please see our advice on assessment panels or contact Artists Services.

In this context, the term ‘emerging’, refers to emerging art forms, not artists who are at the emerging stage of their careers.

Emerging and experimental arts practice is characterised by the exploration of challenging new concepts in the creation and experience of arts and culture. It plays with or invents new forms, methodologies, technologies or explores non-material ideas.  These sometimes include art/science research collaborations, bio art, live art, socially engaged practices and new technologies.

If you’re unsure about which assessment panel to select, please contact Artists Services.

You can have your application assessed by the multi-art form peer panel if your project involves multiple separate art form-specific activities. This could include, for example: a festival that incorporates music, literature and theatre, or a project that has no one specific arts practice focus.  However, if your project does involve more than one area of arts practice, you still have the option to choose one of the single art form panels, which you think will best relate to your work, to assess your application.

Our multi-art form assessment panels are made up of artists and arts workers from a range of art form areas. Peers may include those from specific art form areas (e.g., music or visual arts), peers who work across several art forms, and/or peers who work in interdisciplinary practice.

If you’re unsure about which assessment panel to select, please contact Artists Services.

Community Arts and Cultural Development practice is a community-based arts practice and can engage any art form. There are many variations of how community arts and cultural development works are made, developed and shared, and as such, there is no one model. What is at the core of this practice, however, is the collaboration between professional artists and communities to create art. The activity must be undertaken by with and for the communities involved. The artists and arts working facilitating the project should be highly skilled in these processes, and the activities should reflect the energy and qualities of the community.

If you’re unsure about which assessment panel to select, please contact Artists Services.

The First Nations assessment panel consists entirely of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander industry professionals across art forms and across states and territories.

We also encourage First Nations applicants to apply to other art form assessment panels (for example visual arts, music and literature).

For more information, please see First Nations Arts or contact Artists Services.

Support material may include:

• 10 images
• 10 pages of written material (for example, excerpts of literary writing)
• 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording
• 5 letters of support (with each letter no exceeding one A4 page)
• 2 pages containing artist biographies or CVs

For more information, please see our advice and tips on support material.

Yes. Projects must have a start date that falls after we notify you of the outcome of your application, and no later than one year from that date. We will notify you of the outcome of your application approximately 12 weeks after the closing date.

Yes, if relevant. If your project has an environmental impact, you should provide evidence of an environmental impact plan which may include cost-benefits.

No. However, applications involving venues and partners are likely to be more competitive if their involvement is confirmed.

We cannot amend, correct, update or change any part of your application once it has been submitted. However, you can notify us of confirmations that you receive after you have submitted your application.

To notify us of these confirmations please send an email to enquiries@creative.gov.au briefly describing the nature of the confirmation and include your application reference number.

Yes, your manager or producer can be the applicant on your behalf. However, the best applications are those where the voice of the artist comes through.

Your manager or producer may also administer the grant on your behalf to undertake the financial and reporting requirements – see below.

If you are applying as an unincorporated entity, unincorporated association, or partnership you do not need to have an administrator for your grant. However, you must be able to provide an ABN and bank account that are in the group’s name. If you cannot do this, you must nominate an administrator. For more information about this, please contact Artists Services.

All individual or organisation grant applicants based in Australia must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN). Individual applicants without an ABN may have their grant administered by an individual or organisation with an ABN.

Organisations operating outside of Australia do not need an ABN to apply. Individuals based outside of Australia may not need an ABN to apply, depending on their circumstances (please check with your accountant or tax advisor).

The name of the applicant must match the name of the ABN and the name of the bank account we pay the grant into. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you cannot provide an ABN and bank account that are in the same name as the applicant, you will need to nominate an administrator for your grant.

For more information about this, please contact Artists Services.

Grants, including Fellowships and Awards, may be considered income by Centrelink, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Department of Social Services, or housing departments in some states and territories. The amount is generally assessed as a lump sum and could affect your payment for the financial year or your other means-tested government benefits. Artists who are running a business (even on a small scale) may be affected. It is possible to have your grant paid to an administering body if you wish.

Applicants should contact Centrelink on 13 28 50 for advice. Additionally, Centrelink’s Financial Information Service (FIS) is an education and information service available to everyone in the community and may be of benefit to applicants who also receive assistance through the social security system. To contact FIS phone 13 23 00.

Grants may be considered part of your income in a financial year and may be subject to tax. You must determine your own taxation liabilities. We suggest you consult your financial adviser or contact the Australian Taxation Office on 13 28 66.

The application form calculates your grant request as the difference between your total cash income, and your total cash costs. The gap between these two numbers is the grant request. In-kind contributions are not included in this calculation.

(Total cash costs) – (total cash income) = grant request.

For example:

($50,000 cash costs) – ($30,000 cash income) = $20,000 grant request.

Yes. In-kind contributions refer to resources, goods and services (for example, use of a venue, materials, and people’s time) provided by yourself or others either free of charge, or below market value. Detailing in-kind costs in the budget is important as it gives assessors a full understanding of the viability of your project and levels of support you are receiving. In-kind costs are also an expense so, when you save your application, any in-kind income you included will auto-populate to the expenses side of the budget.

Yes. We expect that artists professionally employed or engaged on funded activities will be paid for their work in line with industry standards. Payment of artist fees should be reflected in your application budget.

For more information, see our advice on payment of artists.

Yes. Organisational administrative costs should be reasonable and directly related to project delivery. They should generally not exceed 10% of the total budget, although this will depend on the nature of the project. If those costs are higher, your application may be less competitive.

No. We encourage applicants whose projects will take place in regional and remote locations to budget accurately and realistically, we recognise that costs may differ between regions and major cities.

If you are GST-registered when you receive a grant, we’ll pay the grant amount plus GST. The budget provided in your application should be exclusive of GST.

We encourage our applicants to seek funding from other sources to cover the complete costs of their projects. While it does depend on the size of your grant request, we would expect that applicants with large requests would also secure funding from elsewhere to cover all costs associated with a large-scale project.

Yes. Access costs are viewed as legitimate expenses and may be included in an applicant’s budget.

We recognise that funding may be required for access costs incurred for applicants with disability, or for costs associated with working with artists with disability who have access needs (e.g., use of an interpreter, translation services, specific technical equipment, or support worker/carer assistance). We encourage you to ensure that your work is accessible to everyone. Therefore, your budgets may also include costs associated with making activities accessible to a wide range of people (e.g. performances using Auslan, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, materials in other formats such as Braille or CD).

Yes. Childcare is a legitimate expense to include in your budget.

Yes. Volunteer out-of-pocket expenses, such as telephone calls or petrol for travel, are recognised as legitimate expenses and may be included in an applicant’s budget.

As a national arts funding body, all our grant rounds are competitive. Success rates are usually between 15% and 20%.

Please see our list of awarded grants.

Once you submit your application, we will send you an email acknowledging that we have received your application.

After we receive your application, we first check it meets the eligibility criteria for the grant or opportunity to which you are applying.

Applications to our grants and opportunities are assessed against the published assessment criteria.

If your application is successful, you will receive an email telling you a grant or opportunity has been offered and explaining the next steps. 

We aim to notify you of the outcome of your application no later than 12 weeks after the published closing date for the grant round.

If your grant is successful you will need to sign a contract, known as a grant agreement, which outlines the conditions of funding, how you will be paid and your grant reporting requirements.

For more information, see manage your grant.

If your application is successful, a grant agreement will be attached to the contracts section of your online account in our application management system.

For more information, read manage your grant.

You will receive your grant payment within two weeks of accepting your grant agreement. Please note we pay our grants in the financial year which they are approved. We will not adjust payment timelines to the particular circumstances of individuals.

For more information, read manage your grant.

Grants are paid into your nominated bank account, which must match the name of the applicant and the Australian Business Number (ABN) provided when you apply through our application management system.

For more information, please read manage your grant and payment processes for grant recipients and suppliers.

You can update your bank account details, if they have changed since you submitted your application, in our application management system. You will be asked to confirm you bank account details when you sign your grant agreement. Once you have signed your grant agreement, please do not update or delete your bank account details until after your payment has been received.

If you require assistance, please contact Artists Services.

All grant recipients must acknowledge that Creative Australia/Music Australia have provided funding for their activities. Please refer to your grant agreement, which will specify what to acknowledge.

For more information, please read manage your grant.

Please refer to logo downloads and usage guidelines.

Your grant agreement will specify any reports we require you to submit when delivering and acquitting your grant.

When you have completed your project, you must acquit your grant by providing a grant report. The grant report provides detail on your funded activities and how the funding was spent.

For more information, please read manage your grant.

Organisations that receive multi-year funding are required to submit financial, statistical, and artistic reporting on an annual basis.

For more information, please read manage your grant.